Fidelity
by Ava Cabot
Summary: Shayera learned that loving another man's husband was never easy. Spoilers for The Once And Future Thing II, and Shadow of the Hawk.


Ava Cabot

Fidelity

A Justice League fic

A/N: Loving another woman's husband was never easy for Shayera. Spoilers for Once and Future Thing and Shadow of the Hawk.

Disclaimer: Didn't you hear? I bought the rights for Justice League. Just kidding, Cartoon Network.

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A spiky black-haired boy peered around the corner, eyeing a towering cake warily. He sniffed the air delicately, catching a waft of half-used cake mix boxes and an open container of chocolate frosting. He took two silent steps into the dimly-lit kitchen, careful not to brush against the table. He knew that his mother had unusually good hearing, and would detect the slightest bit of movement towards the cake, as soon as she heard tiptoed steps against the kitchen tile.

Holding back a giggle, five year-old Rex Stewart silently thanked God, Donald Duck, and Elmo for remembering not to wear socks this time. Last time he'd tried to sneak a cookie before dinner, he'd fallen on the slippery floor. Needless to say, his mother had rushed in there faster than Donald Duck could curse Mickey. He'd not only been sternly reprimanded by his mother, but by Daddy and his nice friend Auntie Mari. Rex didn't like Mari that much, because she went with Daddy and him on their trip to Disneyland. Rex wanted it just to be "the boys", as his mother called it.

Rex didn't like that Mom never did anything except swear when Mari's name was mentioned. She didn't use those words in a language that Rex could really understand anyway. It was just a strange combination of low-toned whistles and clicks. Mom tried to teach Rex some of the whistles, but the lessons had been stopped temporarily. Rex remembered that it was after Auntie started staying later and later at Daddy's house. Rex knew that he wasn't supposed to know that Auntie Mari was even there all night, because it was one of the secrets that Daddy wanted to keep.

That was just one of the things that Rex had accidentally told his mother. After that, Rex knew she didn't want him understanding her curses. All he could translate was that Auntie Mari was some kind of slug from the Alpha 235 sector. A nasty looking one, at that.

Completely lost in though, Rex didn't avoid the puddle of water left from an earlier mopping. He slipped, crashing against a nearby cabinet. He winced, cradling his injured arm.

He rubbed the tender skin, watching a greenish-brown bruise appear on his elbow. His wings folded inward, away from the open cabinet door. He mentally counted down in his head, expecting his mother to come running in at any moment.

Three…

Two…

One.

"Rex Jonathon Stewart! _What_ have I told you about sneaking things from the kitchen? Do you just love ignoring me?"

He winced as Shayera came into the room, her hair messily pulled back into a ponytail. Guilt lanced through Rex, as he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Eyes, which were the same emerald color as his. He shuffled his feet sheepishly, looking down at the dirty floor. Suddenly, the tile pattern had become fascinating.

Shayera knelt at his level, turning his elbow over carefully to assess any injuries. She made quiet clucking noises, raising a slim eyebrow at the bruise. "Did you hurt your wings?" she asked curtly, leaning back and folding her arms.

"No," he muttered, continuing to avoid her gaze.

"No what?"

"No, ma'am."

Shayera wiped her eyes, holding her head back to take in another of her son's misdeeds. "Your father wants you to say ma'am, sweetie. I just wanted you to say sorry."

Rex balled his fists together, keeping his wildfire temper in check, just like Mom taught him to. Or was it Daddy who told him that? Uncle Wally? Uncle J'onn?

There were too many things for a five year-old to keep track of, other than action figures and television shows.

Rex reached over to tug on a loose strand of red hair. "Sorry, Mom," he said softly. "The cake looked so good, and I just was gonna get a taste of the frosting, and I guess I fell again, because—"

Shayera gently moved his hand away, scooping him into her arms. "I know, honey. You and I both have a weakness for chocolate frosting. But I wanted you to wait until your father got here. Then he could have a piece too."

Rex pretended not to notice the steely glint in her eyes, making them turn from worried mother to full of secret anger. That was one of the things that he could never ask about. Though he didn't have any friends his own age, Rex knew that other kids' parents lived together. After reading stories in his mother's quarters there, he'd come to visualize a real family as having a mommy, a daddy, a little boy, and maybe even a puppy. Rex asked Auntie Diana once why Mommy and Daddy never talked to each other.

Auntie Diana said that Rex would learn when was older. She mentioned something about the trouble of Man's World, and despite having been here for nearly ten years, she still didn't understand many of its concepts. That included Rex's parents not being married, and barely on speaking terms.

Rex bit his lip, recalling the Christmas party last year at Uncle Batman's house. He could remember the giant evergreen tree that stood in the living room, covered from top to bottom in flashing rainbow lights. Dozens of presents lay beneath the prickly branches, and Rex's fingers itched to open them.

He hadn't paid much mind to Uncle Batman's elderly butler, Alfred, who took Rex's coat at the door. The glimmering tree and all its presents were calling to him, and Rex squirmed out of his mother's grasp to run towards them. Shayera took off for him, scooping his body into her arms. She had scolded him, for being so rude at this nice party.

Rex apologized profusely, still eyeing the foil-covered gifts. Shayera realized that nothing was going to sway his focus, and placed him gently back on the ground. She warned him to be polite, or Santa wouldn't be visiting that night.

He whole-heartedly believed her, too.

Uncle Wally had spotted him anyway, and sped over in a blink to pat Rex's spiky head. Shayera had painstakingly combed his unruly hair, binding her rambunctious son in a dress shirt and khakis for the evening. Rex solemnly greeted Uncle Wally, who pretended to be taken aback by his demeanor.

"Where's my Rex" he'd asked. "The one who likes to bug Mommy?"

Rex replied that he wanted Christmas presents that night, so he was on his best behavior on her orders.

Wally had laughed, saying that Santa would deliver his presents no matter what. He loaded Rex down with a cup of steaming apple cider and a napkin full of cookies, telling the boy to chow down. Eagerly, he complied.

Despite Wally's attempts to distract him, Rex couldn't ignore the awkward silence in a corner across from him. He saw his mother there, talking in low tones to his father. Auntie Mari was there too, in a sparkling orange dress. Compared to the designer threads Mari was wearing, Shayera's black cocktail one seemed almost shabby. Rex absently dropped his chocolate chip cookie, and rushed over to hug his father.

"Daddy!" he screeched, wrapping himself tightly around John's waist. "Where were you? I was looking all over for you, but Uncle Wally brought me a bunch of cookies, but I was still waiting for you. Do you have any presents for me tonight? Can I open them? Please?"

"Whoa," said John, chuckling quietly. "Slow down there, son. You'll get to open them tomorrow morning, along with Auntie Mari's gift as well."

"Merry Christmas, Rex," she said warmly, revealing a bright red package from behind her. Rex's mouth dropped in awe, as he nervously took the gift out of her hands. Shayera's already thin mouth became even tighter, as she ushered Rex behind her.

"Thanks, Mari," she said shortly. "Rex, honey, go put that by the door. We don't want to lose it in this huge house."

The rest of the night had been a sugar-induced blur, as Rex was toted around on Uncle Clark's shoulders to meet various other superheroes. Rex fell asleep around eleven, curling up on a small couch with his Superman action figure in hand.

The rest of the guests had already left by the time Shayera roused him, heaving his lolling head over her shoulder. She buckled him into the car, but didn't leave immediately. Rex realized that the car wasn't moving, and sleepily shook his mother's arm.

"Are we gonna leave yet, Mom?"

It was too dark in the car for Rex to the tears blurring Shayera's vision, but he knew that something was wrong. Too tired to inquire anymore though, he'd gone back to sleep. The next thing he knew, he was in his pajamas at home, tucked under the covers like always. The hallway light was still on, meaning that Shayera wasn't asleep yet. He could've sworn that she was crying in her room next door, but was afraid to knock and find her sobbing.

Rex shook off the bad memory, not wanting to relive that Christmas at all. Besides, it'd been a lifetime since then. Well, seven months at least. It was hot and humid inside the apartment, whose fickle air conditioning rarely gave summer relief. Seven months ago, there was frost growing outside of the windows, snow falling in gentle flakes to cover the streets. Rex would've given his left arm for some of that cold weather right now.

Shayera sighed in front of him, setting him on top of the counter. "Daddy will be here any minute, so stay on your best behavior, all right? Or no cake."

With the threat of no birthday cake hanging over his head, Rex swore that he wouldn't cause any more trouble. Shayera didn't believe him at all, but nodded like she did. It was a reassuring feeling for her just to put some trust in him, instead of treating him like a little delinquent.

Sometimes he wished his parents would argue about a pointless subject. At least they'd be talking, unlike the cold, silent way they usually approached each other. There was an even bigger awkwardness between them when Auntie Mari was around. Mari never talked to Rex's mother. He knew that they never had monitor duty together, because Uncle J'onn was in charge of the schedule, and even he was sick of their angry stares.

The closet Watchtower to their house, the one in Metropolis, was unfortunately the same one that Rex's Daddy and Mari worked out of. He knew that Shayera would've relocated, but she and Rex lived in their apartment for next to nothing, because of the checks that came in the mail each month. Rex never knew where they came from, but he knew that two separate people sent his mother money. The neighborhood was nice anyway, with a park right across the street and plenty of kids for Rex to play with. Nobody asked questions about Shayera and Rex, about where his father was, or what she even did for a living. Privacy like that was rare, so Shayera was content to stay.

Shayera turned her head towards the front door, her eyes becoming alert. "I think I hear your Dad coming, Rex."

And just that like, the doorbell rang. Rex always suspected that his mother was psychic, or had unusually good hearing. He dashed out of the kitchen, sliding slightly on the hardwood floor in his hurry.

"Don't fall!" she shouted, standing up with her head in her hands. She peered around the corner; just as Rex threw open the door, a large grin spreading across his face.

"How's my little man?" asked John, kneeling down to hug his son. Shayera walked slowly into the living room, stopping behind the couch and glaring at the slim figure behind John. Mari stepped out from the doorway, grimly holding a large parcel in her arms. John glanced over Rex's head to meet Shayera's eyes. She placed one hand on her hip, flicking a piece of hair back carelessly. John cursed himself silently, forgetting just how coy the mother of his child could be.

The _mother_ of his child.

The mother of _his _child.

Even though Shayera remained mum about Rex's father during the pregnancy, it was easy to tell who it was after the birth. One look at him was enough. Rex, even as a day-old infant, was the perfect combination of Shayera and John. Though he had Shayera's eyes and her piercing scream, his face was John's. No one could deny that. Especially not Mari, who was hurt the most by the blessed event.

"Shayera," said John shortly, nodding his head.

"Nice to see you too, John."

"You made a cake?"

"No, I had Batman come over and make it."

"Still got that pleasant sense of humor, don't you?"

Rex glanced from parent to parent, wishing to high heaven that there would be no yelling. Mari, still grim-faced, gently pushed John aside. "Smells good in there, Shayera. Is it vanilla?"

"Lemon, actually, with chocolate frosting."

John sniffed the air, making an approving grunt. "My favorite."

"Apparently it's Rex's also."

Mari frowned, a firm line forming across her forehead. "Like father, like son."

Rex cringed, as Shayera tightened her fists. "Why don't you take Daddy's present into the kitchen, Rex? We have to have grown-up talk for a second."

Afraid to test his mother's anger, Rex quickly complied. He shook the box slightly, trying to make a guess on what was wrapped inside.

Shayera watched her son disappear into the kitchen, making sure he was out of sight and hearing range before turning back to Mari and John. None of them spoke, and the silence Rex was dreading spread throughout the room.

Mari and Shayera continued to visually size each other up, their eyes narrowing into thin lines. Mari was impeccably dressed in a sundress, the skirt flowing out past her knees gracefully, strappy sandals lancing up her ankles. Shayera looked like a busy mother, wearing torn jeans and a black tank-top. Her wings remained folded but not relaxed. She was ready for a fight, if Mari was so inclined.

John slumped into a nearby armchair, leaning his head back in weariness. Mari sat on the side of the chair, as Shayera crossed her arms defensively.

He held his left hand up to his face, staring at the wrinkles and marks that scarred them. His stare caught upon his ring finger, noting the dull gold band that encircled it. When he was younger, the idea of playing husband seemed as great eating rusty nails. He thought that marriage would heal his troubled relationship with her.

Her didn't mean Shayera. It meant Mari, the woman who miraculously stood by him even after his ex returned. Mari was remained solid despite the dozens of times John had almost strayed back to Shayera. John expected Mari to kill him after finding out who the father of Shayera's baby was. And then she would bring him back to life and kill him again, just for fun. But when J'onn made the public announcement two weeks after he told her, Mari barely flinched.

Then again, she was already expecting the baby.

John told her after Shayera was about four months pregnant, at about the point where she was starting to show. By the way she carried herself, Mari knew instinctively that Shayera would have a boy. But her suspicions were confirmed one chilling night, when she and John lay beside each other in bed.

There, John had broken down, confessing about Shayera coming over to his apartment four months ago. He told Mari about how one thing had led to another, and they ended up in John's bedroom.

Mari wasn't a complete idiot. John and her were going through a rough patch around that time, and she that there was only one other woman John would turn to in a situation like that. But after just one night…the chances of Shayera getting pregnant were slim, but plausible.

But then again, Mari was the good wife, the one who stood by her man. Tammy Wynette's song was the essence of Mari's stance with John, even as she waited alone outside the medical bay, holding back a choking sob with every one of Shayera's cries while in labor. A fist was clenched around Mari's heart, squeezing tight with every push. She could hear J'onn calmly coaching Shayera, who was shrieking curses at him in Thanagarian. John was in there too, as the entitled father. Mari's chest became tighter with every one of his encouraging words.

Most of the League hovered around the medical bay, waiting on any news that J'onn would bring. No one except him and John were allowed inside, and as they were obviously occupied, people hungered for any gossip that would come after the laboring was over. Shayera wasn't the first member to have a child, as Inza had given birth a year earlier, and Dinah safely delivered twin boys six months past. But Shayera's case was special. Both of those women were human, so a human doctor was able to be present and in charge for the births. But no one had ever witnessed a delivery like Shayera's, that of a half-human, half-Thanagarian child. Only someone like J'onn would have the slightest idea of what to do.

Everyone knew that the ordeal was over after Shayera stopped screaming, and her voice had been replaced by John's shouts. There was something wrong, as no one heard a baby crying. Nervous whispers darted around the hallway, as people realized that something went wrong.

Mari remembered that everything turned out all right in the end, despite John's frantic worrying. Rex just had trouble breathing for the first few days, and had to be incubated temporarily. But she knew that John spent every day in the ICU, standing beside Shayera as she wept against the plastic covering of Rex's cradle.

Rex had been perfect as an infant, with small wings like that of a cherub. They fluttered wildly at first, but he learned to control their movement later on, as his mother taught him.

There had been no official custody arrangement between John and Shayera. As they had never been married, there wasn't a reason for them to go to court over Rex. An agreement hashed out between them included that Rex would live with Shayera, but John would have unlimited visiting rights.

And now little Rex was five years old, already aware of his parents and their many problems. Poor kid, thought Mari. He must think it's all his fault.

"Mom?"

Rex's voice sounded tiny and distant, as he hesitantly watched the scene in the living room. Shayera unclenched her hands, turning to face her son.

"Can we eat the cake yet? I really want to open my presents too."

Shayera smiled sadly, nodding and motioning for John and Mari to follow her. Rex ran back into the other room, the three adults trailing behind.

Mari couldn't help but stare at Rex, as he took Shayera's slim hand in his, John's in the other. They looked like the perfect couple, their son beaming between them. She bitterly stood off to the side, while Shayera reached into various drawers for candles, matches, and a paper hat for Rex to wear.

The sunset outside had faded to a deep purple, the first night stars beginning to shine. Rex stared in wonder at the dying sun, glancing up innocently as Shayera ruffled his hair. Mother and son continued to watch the sky, as she whispered stories about far-away planets in his ear. Rex giggled as her breath tickled his cheek, reaching behind to clasp her hand in his.

Shayera spoke softly of rolling mountains that spread across Thanagar, stretching farther than any Thanagarian could see. There were glistening lakes and oceans near where she grew up, full of cold, clear water and gigantic fish. She whispered about skimming the water's surface, just low enough so that droplets would glisten in her wings. She held Rex against her, her eyes lost in the memory of her home world.

Mari had never heard Shayera speak of Thanagar until now. Even John, as a Green Lantern, knew almost nothing about it. He vaguely knew who was in charge of that sector, but rarely kept in contact with that Lantern.

She suspected it was Katma, another ex-girlfriend of his.

Mari continued to listen to Shayera's words, as John stuck small blue candles inside the cake. She knew that he was doing this task at a slow pace deliberately, so he could listen to Shayera talk. Mari wasn't completely stupid; she knew that John had harbored feelings for the alluring redhead since her return to the League many years ago. She hoped that the dashing Carter Hall would steal Shayera's attention away, and John would go back to being hers. But Shayera didn't believe in the destiny Hall was preaching, and quickly came back to an irritated, but welcoming John. He had been just as willing to accept her as he had after Grundy's death. He always opened with open arms.

And an open bed.

Destiny. Mari had grown to hate that word with a passion, because destiny had John believe that Rex had to be born. Ever since that jump to the future, John was convinced that someday, he would have a child with Shayera. They'd get married and live happily ever after, while she was left in the dust.

Batman had been the one to bluntly inform her. It was late one night, while the two of them shared monitor duty at the Gotham Tower. Batman mentioned a mission he and John encountered years before, where they traveled to the future Gotham City.

Mari asked if the dreary metropolitan was still just as depressing as ever.

He mentioned meeting the future Batman, a young man named Terry McGinnis, as well as the only members of the Justice League. Fifty years in the future, there were five of them. A small boy with John's Green Lantern seal, a blonde girl reminiscent of Aquaman, the teenager named Virgil who had grown into an old man, the new Batman, and Warhawk, who called himself Rex Stewart.

Mari choked on the latte she'd been drinking, spewing the hot brown liquid on the floor. She shouted at Batman to stop being a fucking liar.

Deep down inside, she knew that this future was quickly becoming reality. Shayera had given birth not so long ago, and she named her son Rex. This Rex had shining green eyes and thick black hair, just like the Rex Batman and John encountered.

And here in the present, watching Rex blow out his birthday candles, she wondered if everything Batman had seen was going to pass. One fateful event had already happened, which could only mean that an enormous can of worms had been opened. Things could only go downhill from here.

When she first found out that Shayera was pregnant, Mari was positive that her marriage would be over. Now, she was convinced that it was on the path to Hell.

Her world had basically ended the day Rex was born, and the years after that had continued to get worse. A few foot away from her, Shayera dished out slices of cake to Rex and John, both of them shoving chunks into their hungry mouths. There was something picturesque about that moment, with a mother and father celebrating their son's birthday. John and Shayera weren't exchanging cutting remarks; in fact, they both had smiles on their faces. She was the only one clearly unhappy.

Mari wasn't sure how this was going to end, but one thing she knew for certain.

The sight of the three of them made her sick.

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Word count: 4018


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